The right way to flip flop

We all do it from time to time. We passed the address we were looking for, or we saw that enticing RV for sale parked on the side of the road that we just had to look at.

So then, we feel the need to flip flop. But how?

There is always the "three rights make a left" theory for turning around. (That is to say, go around the block.)

Then there is the ever popular "U-Turn" either at a traffic light with a left turn lane (and without a pesky "No U Turn" sign) or on a wide road.

But on narrower roads in more rural areas or where the grid of streets is widely spaced, what is the right way to turn around?

The three point turn is sometimes used, but what a lot of people do is to pull the car into a driveway and then back out across a lane of traffic. Easy, right?

The better way is to choose a driveway on the right side of the road (as opposed to the left side of the road), pull up past the driveway you want to enter, and back into it. Then, when pulling out going forward, you have a clearer view on both sides.

A lot of people are just plain afraid of backing up and can't do it precisely. They're too afraid of hitting the mailbox when trying to back into a driveway. If you are one of these people, then it probably feels less risky to back out into a wide open street where there is nothing to hit.

Maybe there is nothing to hit now, but the car that comes barreling around the corner or the kid on a bicycle who comes out of nowhere are also more hazardous risks when you are in this position. In my view, the risk is greater backing out across a lane than it is backing into the driveway to begin with.

Cops flashing on the highway shoulder - invitation for disaster?

Perhaps you've seen those police video shows on TV. You know, the ones where the cops chase the bad guys at high speed and it always ends in either a crash or the suspects bailing out and running. Sometimes both.

Another favorite category of videos in these shows features police officers with vehicles stopped on the side of the road, and darn it all if other drivers aren't attracted to these traffic stops like moths to flames, causing the officer to have to jump out of the way--if he's lucky, that is. If he's not lucky he gets hit full on by a car speeding right into him. And the passengers of the stopped car get to become victims as well of a driver who for some unfathomable reason thought that a police car stopped by the side of the road was an invitation to hit it like in some depraved video game.

Then there are the occassional videos featured on these shows where rubbernecking drivers distracted by something--be it a traffic stop, construction, an accident, a suicide jumper, or whatever else may interesting at the moment--get into further accidents themselves. On a freeway this can lead to massive chain reaction crashes as people are looking at the shoulder while not noticing the car stopped dead in front of them that has just rear ended another car.

Having read that, take a look at the video and tell me what you see.

Did you notice the men working near the sign on the left side of the road? My guess is that you did not, because you probably saw all the vehicles lined up on the right shoulder with all their flashing lights and you probably looked over at them. If one of these men had been too close to the road or trying to cross it, there is a pretty good chance that many drivers would not have seen him at all on the left shoulder because they were looking at the light show on the right shoulder.

Now suppose there had been a large object of some sort in the middle of the highway in between these two potential distractions. How many drivers would have seen that?

My point is that it is a very wise idea as a talented driver to always consciously survey the entire scene whenever there is a distraction of any kind to see if there is something you should be seeing but are not.

Then once you've thoroughly scanned your surroundings, most importantly the path your vehicle is going to take, go ahead and take a little peek at that accident. Us humans are as curious as cats, after all. It's just that I'd rather have my body and property intact first and be curious second.

Careful getting around that police car!

Today I came across a driving situation in which there was a police cruiser at a traffic stop on the opposite side of the road ahead of me. That's not particularly unusual, but it is definitely something to pay attention to!

There were a few other factors in this particular situation.

1. The traffic stop was on a curve on the opposite shoulder where it was not clearly visible until I came upon it.
2. There was a pedestrian walking on the shoulder across from the traffic stop on the shoulder on my side of the road.
3. The pedestrian was watching the traffic stop, not the oncoming traffic (me).
4. There was traffic about to pass the traffic stop from the opposite direction.

Here is a mildly complex setup that is an accident hazard. Why? Any time there is more than one road hazard in close proximity, the chance of an accident goes up.

Normally I would give the traffic stop as wide a berth as possible by moving my car to the extreme right of the paved roadway, crossing the white line on the right side of the road. That wasn't possible this time because of the pedestrian.

It is the responsibility of the traffic coming up behind the traffic stop (the traffic opposite me, in this case) to slow down and make sure it is safe to proceed before passing the road hazard that is completely or partially blocking their travel lane. All too often, however, such drivers eagerly cross the double yellow center line while still at a high rate of speed to pass by the blockage, regardless of what traffic is coming at them from the other direction. I think drivers tend to assume that the oncoming traffic will move way over for them. And they may be correct about that, but then again they may not be! And then what happens?

A talented driver coming up behind the traffic stop in this case would not only see the traffic stop, but would have scanned the rest of the scene and noticed the pedestrian walking on the left side of the road, and noticed that the opposing traffic may not be able to give a wide berth. A non-talented driver would just plow on through and become an active road hazard himself.

Today, I consider myself lucky. While the driver behind the traffic stop did not slow down as much as I would have liked, he did slow down some and only started entering my lane (crossing the double yellow line) once I had gotten past the pedestrian.

Squirrels, kids with spray paint, and other hazards on the road

I wouldn't say that road hazards are everywhere, but there are a heck of a lot of them!

I define a road hazard as a situation, obstacle, or other factor that has potential to cause an accident. This includes anything that moves in or on the roadway, stationary obstacles in the roadway, and things that move near the roadway that have the potential to enter the roadway, and anything else that demands a driver's attention.

Road hazards are commonplace because the roads are shared by many people in a public environment, which means that anything could be happening at any time. Dealing with road hazards is something every driver has to do, but not every driver does it equally well. The result is that not every driver has the same likelihood of getting into an accident!

Type of Road Hazard	Examples
Anything that moves in or on the roadway	Cars, trucks, bicycles, pedestrians in crosswalks
Stationary obstacles in the roadway	Pot holes, vehicles at an accident scene, police cars at traffic stops, traffic cones, debris that fell off of vehicles
Things that move near the roadway and that could enter the roadway	Pedestrians, playing children, deer, squirrels, dogs, bicycles
Anything else outside of his or her vehicle that demands a driver's attention	Weather conditions

A talented driver is always on the lookout for road hazards and consciously or unconsciously taking note of the hazards' positions, how likely they are to cause a problem, and unconsciously or consciously adjusting her or his driving to avoid those hazards or mitigate the risks associated with them.

So you think you can drive?

"...A nationwide trucking company reports that their average drivers cover 125,000 miles per year and suffer four accidents per year---yet one of their best drivers has just celebrated his four millionth mile of accident-free driving."
First, Break All the Rules, p 73

Why is it that some drivers always seem to be getting tickets, getting into accidents and having other driving troubles, while others go for much longer in between mishaps?

As drivers, many of us go through driver's education, and all of us learn the rules of the road well enough to pass written and road tests in order to get our licenses. But not all of us are good drivers. Even though we understand that driving is a privilege and not a right, the truth is that it is seen as a necessity in our car-obsessed culture. As long as an individual shows a minimum level of competence, the officials who license drivers are inclined to let that person drive.

But as we learn in life as we come to know a variety of different people, not everyone is the same! People have a variety of abilities that come naturally to them. Things that are easy for one person are hard for another. People who are highly intelligent may be so scatterbrained that they are likely to get hit by a car while crossing the street. People who are great storytellers and entertainers at parties may find it difficult if not impossible to follow directions.

"You have a filter, a characteristic way of responding to the world around you. We all do. Your filter tells you which stimuli to notice and which to ignore; which to love and which to hate."
First, Break All the Rules, p 76

The varying ability levels of people applies to driving as well. Everyone who has a license at one time met a minimum standard for driving ability. But not everyone experiences the same thing while driving. Some drivers talk to their passengers while missing things going on outside of the car. Some drivers never feel the need to use their turn signals. Some drivers are constantly assessing the road hazards around them:

When you ask the best drivers, "What do you think about when you are driving?" they all say the same thing. They all say, "I think about what I would do if ... if that car pulled out right now. If that pedestrian decided to try to cross before the light changed. If my brakes failed." While the other drivers are thinking about the next rest stop, how much longer they have to go today, or other, more diverting subjects, the best drivers are playing "what if?" games, anticipating scenarios, planning evasive maneuvers. Same stimuli, different reactions, very different performance.
First, Break All the Rules, p 77

There is a lot riding on our driving. Many of us do it every day. We carry ourselves, our children, our family members, our friends, and sometimes clients or strangers in our cars, vans, trucks, and buses. The safety of all the people on and near the road rides on the ability of those who drive to do so in a safe, talented way.

This blog and this website is dedicated to drivers who pay attention to the details of driving and who are perplexed or fascinated by those who don't. What seems obvious to us is not obvious to drivers whose brains are wired to notice things other than the details of what is happening around them. Here is a place to talk about it!

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